Statistics on child maintenance allowances
Producer
Kela – The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
Description
The child maintenance allowance is a Kela benefit aimed at providing economic security to children who do not receive child support from a liable parent. Child maintenance allowance is paid in the following situations:
- the liable parent has not paid child support in accordance with a previous agreement or court decision
- child support has been set at an amount lower than the Child Maintenance Allowance or no child support payments have been mandated due to financial difficulties on the part of the liable parent
- the child has been adopted by a single parent or the child's paternity has not been confirmed
Kela is also responsible for the collection of overdue child support payments.
Data content
Recipient of subsidy (custodial parent), child for whom child maintenance allowance is paid and the amount of allowance paid in EUR.
Classifications used
Full/reduced child maintenance allowance, reimbursable/non-reimbursable child maintenance allowance, general regional classifications and general demographic classifications
Data collection methods and data sources
The statistics on child maintenance allowances are based on administrative data on the determination and payment of claims. The processing systems employed at Kela's local offices are used to produce an individual-level benefit database, which forms the basis for the statistical registers.
Updating frequency
Published monthly and once per calendar year.
Time of completion or release
Data are made available in the Kelasto statistical database within four weeks of the end of the reference period.
Time series
Statistical information produced by Kela about the child maintenance allowance is available since April 2009, when responsibility for the administration of the scheme was transferred from local government authorities to Kela.
Annual statistics on the child maintenance allowance were collected between 1993 and 2008 by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (previously STAKES) based on surveys of individual municipalities.
Keywords
Social security, child maintenance allowance, children, families with children.
Contact information
tilastot (at) kela.fi
Updated 12/05/12